


All About Us

by AlxSteele



Series: Through The Looking Glass [13]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - This World Inverted (Shadowhunters TV), Can't you see they're falling in love, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, M/M, Malec, the angst begins...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 17:10:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6762721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlxSteele/pseuds/AlxSteele
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the AU of This World Inverted: Things happen. Alec and Magnus have been together for awhile now, is it…loooove? Basically, they're fluffy goofballs and it's adorable.</p><p>OR:</p><p>The moment alt!Malec realizes they're in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All About Us

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY. Things are happening. This is fluffy and fun again but things are coming... Pinky promise.
> 
> This is part of a series that you’d have more fun with if you read it all but don’t have too. =)
> 
> Title from All About Us by He Is We feat. Owl City (which is an amazing song, just saying)

While Magnus finished up a new potion in the small nook in the corner of his loft that he used for a workspace, Alec made his way to the small, stainless steel kitchen that Magnus never seemed to use. Church followed him, meowing for attention or food — probably both, knowing the cat.

Alec hummed to himself, feeling content as he started going through the pantry, looking for something he could turn into an edible meal. He liked this routine, they’d only been together for a few months but it’d become natural so fast. Coming over every day after work, spending time together, dates on the weekend. Alec dragged Magnus with him when hanging out with his siblings — something he did at least two nights a week whether it was shopping or dinner or clubbing — and Magnus had even taken to dragging Alec with him when he met up with his friends once a week. Though Alec found Ragnor, Raphael, and Catarina a little…eccentric, he secretly loved that Magnus took him along.

Alec let the door slam shut on the empty pantry, turning to the fridge where he couldn’t help but smirk as he found nothing but a half gallon of expired milk, an old wrinkly carrot, and half a loaf of bread. He wasn’t sure if that was a step up or down from the pantry which had a moldy bagel and an empty box of marshmallow cereal. Alec was a little afraid to open the freezer and did so with his eyes scrunched up, prepared for horrors.

“Why are you glaring at my freezer?”

Alec turned with a wide smile to find Magnus Bane, looking decidedly less self-conscious than usual, leaning a hip against the counter near the doorway that led from the kitchen to the living room. Alec loved Magnus like this: in rumpled sweats and an old shirt, smiling wide and not over-thinking, not _thinking_ , just being happy. He’d gotten used to seeing this version of Magnus over the last weeks, like Magnus was finally comfortable with him, with them, and Alec knew — in a slightly scary way — that he’d do anything to keep this version. The happy, carefree Magnus.

“You have no food,” Alec informed Magnus, turning back and looking at the sad freezer. Which contained a fairly old frozen pizza, a tub of chocolate chip ice cream — which Alec knew was Magnus’ favorite — and a bag of frozen peas.

“I have plenty of food,” Magnus replied, the corners of his mouth twitching just slightly.

“Nothing edible,” Alec replied with a pointed look.

Magnus moved behind him, peering over Alec’s shoulder at the freezer. “Look, ice cream! That’s perfectly edible.” Alec grinned at the excited tone in Magnus’ voice like he was proud of the fact that he had ice cream in his freezer.

Alec rolled his eyes, closing the freezer and turning to loop his arms around Magnus. He stared down at him, trying not to smile. “Magnus, babe—” Magnus choked a little at the pet name as Alec tried it out. Alec smirked before continuing. “Ice cream is not dinner. Also, why the peas?”

Magnus looked away then, shrugging. “Emergencies?”

“Pea emergencies?”

“You’ve never had one?”

Alec let a smile play across his. Sometimes, it was hard to tell whether Magnus was being serious or trying to make a joke, but it was always amusing. Letting go of him, Alec crossed to where he’d left his phone, keys, and wallet on the table right inside the door. “Come on,” he said.

Magnus followed him wearily, staring down at his bare feet. “Where are we going?” he asked with a small smile.

“Shopping,” Alec said firmly.

Magnus shook his head, moving to find shoes. “And why are we going shopping? We could just order in.”

Now that Alec thought about it, he’d never seen Magnus cook or eat anything that wasn’t ordered in. “Nope. I’m cooking for you,” he grinned.

Magnus turned, slipping his shoes on and raising an eyebrow. “You can cook?”

“Don’t act so surprised.” Alec frowned, fake pouting.

Magnus was quick to correct him, “No. I mean, yes. But in a good way.”

Alec laughed, reaching out and grabbing Magnus' hand, pulling the shorter man out of the loft.

***

“I have to say, I’m really surprised how well the store’s doing. It was a kind of spur of the moment thing, you know.” Alec grinned as Magnus picked up a package of chocolate chip cookies, placing them in the basket Alec was pushing, talking all the while and even waving his hands around in increasingly random gestures. “You’d be surprised how well a psychic can make a living but selling potions and the like? It was a gamble.”

Questions pressed at Alec’s mind about how exactly Magnus came to be a physic reader and the shop and a million other details he really probably should have already asked about – he had asked some of them but Magnus tended to laugh or wave it off – but he was too distracted by Magnus’ flailing and throwing random things in the basket to put much thought into it. Pushing the questions away for another time instead.

“I think it’s the sign, Isabelle said it would be eye catching after all.”

Alec rolled his eyes, bristling at the fact that Magnus was taking Izzy’s advice over Alec’s. Alec was the party planner. Alec made things beautiful and eye-catching for a living, but would Magnus even going shopping with him? No.

The thought made Alec feel better as he continued to put back everything Magnus threw in the cart: cookies, brownies – basically anything and everything the store had that had incredible amounts of sugar.

Alec was humming along, following Magnus through the store and listening to his stories when Magnus stopped suddenly. Alec looked over at him to find Magnus glaring down at the basket that held nothing but a green bell pepper, a purple onion, some mushrooms, and a package of chicken breasts.

“Yes, darling?” Alec asked with a teasing edge. Magnus looked up at him from under his dark eyelashes. That look did something to Alec, making his heart stop for just a second as something flashed in Magnus’ eyes, as a smile twitched the corner of his lips.

Alec stopped breathing for a moment thinking: oh.

Magnus blinked slowly, sighing. “Alexander, all my groceries appear to have vanished from the shopping cart.”

Alec’s breath whooshed back in all at once and he had to look away quickly, eyes roaming over the boxes of pasta even though he already held the one he wanted in his hand. He didn’t want Magnus to see what he was sure was clear in his eyes right then. What he’d just realized, staring at him.

“That’s…strange,” Alec said, turning to Magnus after taking a deep, steadying breath.

Magnus pushed his bottom lip out in a pout. “Can we at least get ice cream for dessert?”

Alec tried to keep a serious look on his face, but he couldn’t manage. “Fine, I guess,” he sighed. _Of course, anything_ , he thought, his revelation fresh in mind even if he couldn’t put it in words yet. Because…well it was fucking terrifying and obvious. How had he only just realized?

Following Magnus down the crowded aisles though, Alec thought, hadn’t he known for a while now? Hadn’t there been a hundred little moments where he’d thought it? Where he’d known without a doubt, simply denying to let his mind think the words…

Alec’s chest was tight and he was breathing very deliberately as he argued with Magnus over donuts.

It was simple really. Just three words. He thought them again as Magnus grinned, tossing the donuts into the cart in victory _. I love you._

***

Magnus wasn’t really sure how this had happened but here they were; Magnus’ back pressed against the counter, Alec standing in front of him, their lips tangled in a heated kiss.

They’d gotten back from the grocery store — Magnus didn’t really care that Alec had put back all the good food, as he’d gotten really good at simply snapping his fingers and getting whatever he wanted since his magic came back — that had been a good twenty minutes ago. Then Magnus had been putting stuff away — Alec had insisted he buy real food besides just what Alec was cooking them for dinner — and directing Alec to where all the pots and pans and various other kitchen-y things were. Yes, Magnus would admit to the fact that he snapped his fingers once or twice to…er, acquire something he didn’t have already.

Somehow all of that had led to this. Magnus had tripped and Alec had caught him and then…kissing happened. Magnus was getting used to this in the worst way, he really had gotten too lazy. Let himself stop thinking a little too much. That was hard to remember when Alec was so close though and Magnus was…happy. He couldn’t deny that. He hadn’t felt…anything for so long and to actually be happy… Well, he just wanted to let himself believe he could actually have this for a little while longer.

The problem came when Alec broke away, breathing slightly heavily, gasping for breath that Magnus had apparently stolen from his lungs, and moved to kissing down the side of Magnus’ neck and then…yep, there was definitely some nibbling going on.

Magnus let himself relax into for only a moment, focusing on the heat of Alec’s mouth on his skin. Only for a second. Because his guard fell as Alec continued his administrations and, Magnus felt rather than saw, the magic sparking blue and purple at his fingertips. His heart constricted painfully and he pulled away.

Magnus was breathing heavily for a whole different reason now and he tried to keep the panic from his eyes as he slowly blinked them open — making sure his glamour was in place — to find Alec looking at him, eyes only half open.

If the panic wasn’t so close to the surface, making Magnus’ hands shake as he put them behind his back, and his eyes skirt away from Alec’s; Magnus would’ve noticed his heart contracting for a different reason as Alec looked down at him, hair a mess from Magnus’ fingers running through it.

Magnus cleared his throat, looking back at Alec with a hopefully playful look. He laughed, hoping it didn’t sound too forced. “If we continue like this,” Magnus said. “We’ll never eat.”

Alec grinned, swooping in for one last kiss before pulling away. After that, Alec shooed Magnus out of the kitchen claiming he was “far too distracting”. Magnus retreated to the living room where he put on some soft music before moving back to the kitchen and perching on the edge of the counter.

For a while he simply watched. Alec hummed to himself as he sliced mushrooms and diced onions and peppers. When Magnus had asked what he was making he’d say “just a simple stir-fry” but nothing about this seemed simple to Magnus.

One thing Magnus had never gotten into over the centuries was cooking. He’d tried so many other things – he’d been a painter for a while, and a musician, a dancer in his more carefree days – but over the centuries he’d gotten…well _boring_. The truth was, life got dull after a while. He got tired of meeting new people only for them to leave him or never know what he was or die. He’d gotten tired of partying and pretending not to care for anything. Eventually, he’d stopped fighting and let his magic disappear along with his human emotions. It was easier that way. Now, however…

Magnus grinned as Alec finished chopping everything and carelessly threw it into the pan. Giving the noodles a twirl in the boiling water along the way. Next, he pulled out the chicken and a sharp knife.

Magnus sipped at the glass of wine Alec had pressed into his hand before finally asking. “So…where did you learn to cook?”

Alec looked up, focusing completely on Magnus even as he continued to slice up the chicken. He grinned. “I kind of had to. Taught myself mostly, though I guess Izzy being such a horrible cook did teach me a thing or two.”

Magnus laughed. “Dear Isabelle isn’t the best chef then?”

Alec shook his head, wiping his hands on a dish towel and moving back to the stove, his laughter trailing after him. “No. Definitely not. But, growing up, our parents were always off doing something or other. Running their companies, and the world it felt like. So,” he shrugged. “We had cooks and stuff but Izzy wanted to be able to do it ourselves and well, Jace and I almost died when Izzy was in charge of cooking.”

“That bad?”

Alec stopped everything to look up and nod solemnly. “Seriously, if she ever offers you something, just say no. It’s for your own good.” He turned, throwing the chicken into the skillet along with a bunch of spices and sauces and things Magnus honestly didn’t know what were.

“So anyway. Jace wasn’t going to learn to cook and I mean, I’ve always found it to be fun.” Alec finished.

Magnus hummed some sort of agreement, watching Alexander as he deftly prepared the meal. It wasn’t until everything was nearly done and the loft smelled better than it ever had before, no longer holding the scent of recently burned incense but filled with the rich aroma of spicy chicken stir-fry. Not until Alec was humming softly to himself, smiling the smallest smile and looking to be lost in his own world as he pulled down bowls and started layering the food in, that Magnus realized it.

It wasn’t sudden. Well, it was. And it wasn’t. It was something he’d known forever, carefully hidden away, towards the back of his mind. And it was an all too sudden discovery that made it hard to breathe, that left him feeling like he was a fish out of water, gasping for breath.

It was a contradiction in everything it made him think and feel, in everything it _was_. It was the greatest thing ever and a Greek tragedy. It was the first song at a concert you’d been anticipating for months and the final encore when you knew you had to go home once the final note ended. It was the first day of spring and the sun going down on a day you never wanted to end. It was new and exciting and as old as the ocean and as deep and terrifying as it’s depths. It was… love.

Magnus mouthed the word but didn’t say it. Couldn’t say it.

Love. He was in love.

Magnus wasn’t quite sure how this had happened and also he wasn’t surprised in the least. It was Alexander after all. How could it have ever been anything else? The mundane…was so much _more_ than Magnus could’ve ever imagined in all his years. Both when he still felt human emotions and when he’d closed himself off to them.

And it was…amazing. He was overwhelmed with this feeling that made him giddy, made him mad and crazy and insane. And he wanted to blurt it but he’d been going so long without thinking and it couldn’t last and this was the moment it would all begin to fall apart, he knew. Because he was a _warlock_. He was part demon. He was immortal and over four hundred years old. And Alexander was…all light and good and perfectly amazingly _normal._

Magnus didn’t notice when Alec turned around, holding two bowls, and gesturing to the dining table. “Shall we?”

Magnus looked up at his voice, eyes catching first on his wide smile that always made something in Magnus stutter, and then his wide, shining eyes. Magnus couldn’t breathe so he settled for nodding.

Love, he thought, sitting down at the table across from Alec. Love, he felt watching Alec’s eyes light up when Magnus took the first bite.

Warlock, he remembered as Alec launched into a story involving a blackout, water balloons, and his siblings.

***

“See, this is why I don’t cook,” Magnus complained, trying to keep all these new thoughts and feelings at bay with a light laugh.

“Oh come on, isn’t this fun?” Alec replied, flicking soapy water at Magnus, who had to fight off a grin. It was the middle of the night and they were standing crowded in the kitchen over the sink, cleaning up everything.

Magnus was deep in thoughts he was trying not to think — it wasn’t working — when Alec reached through the soapy water, grabbing Magnus’ hands and pulling him away from the sink before Magnus even realized what was happening.

“Alexander, you’re getting water everywhere,” Magnus said, watching the floor under their dripping hands where a small puddle of water was already forming.

Alec didn’t pay any attention to that, letting go of Magnus’ hands he rested his own — still wet and soapy — hands on Magnus’ hips, making Magnus frown. “Dance with me,” Alec said, his voice lower than ever.

Magnus’ eyes flicked back up to Alec’s to find him standing even closer, gaze strong and sure.

Magnus opened his mouth to object but couldn’t find any words. He was too busy staring into Alec’s eyes, seeing something he hadn’t seen there before. Something that made his heart beat faster than ever, something that had him completely forgetting that he was four hundred years old and had indeed felt love before.

Magnus looped his arms around Alec’s neck, pressing his body flush against Alec’s. They were barely swaying; the music Magnus had turned on earlier barely loud enough to be heard. They breathed the same air, lips barely half an inch away from touching but neither moved closer or further, staying right there in that spot, in that moment, staring into each other’s eyes.

During that long, drawn out, perfectly suspended moment, they both felt it. They both knew it. They were in love. It surrounded them like a warm blanket, and a bucket of ice cold water dumped over their heads, all at once. It was calm and even; loud and explosive.

They were on the verge of saying it. Saying _something_. But held back. Locked in the moment.

Then Magnus started thinking again. The gears in his head slowly starting to turn and he couldn’t control where they went. He thought of the dishes and the mess in the kitchen and how he could just snap his fingers and make it all disappear. And then, biting his lip, staring into Alec’s eyes, he thought maybe he would do that. Right in front of Alec. Right where Alec could see. Would _have_ to see.

Magnus couldn’t breathe and his breath was coming too fast; the world had stopped and it was spinning all too fast. And Magnus Bane was in love with Alexander Lightwood and wasn’t that all that mattered?

Magnus was opening his mouth and about to say something…

Alec closed his eyes and leaned forward that half an inch, and captured Magnus’ unsaid words with his warm lips. And Magnus’ clothes were soaked where Alec’s hands tightened on his waist. And Magnus’ head was a whirlwind of disjointed thoughts as Alec’s mouth teased his and, with a deep sigh into the kiss, Magnus let his thoughts float away once more.

Just for now, he told himself, pushing even closer to Alec. Just this once more, he could push everything away before being forced to deal with it.

Because Magnus Bane hadn’t felt anything in so long and this was so much more than he’d ever felt and he wasn’t ready to _lose_ it. Magnus knew this story, it started with a warlock and a mundane falling in love. And there was only one way Magnus thought it could end. And it wasn’t how he wanted it to.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sorry for that ending, I’m not sure how it happened but I’m actually really happy with how this one turned out and how things are leading up finally….I still have fluffiness planned but we are edging our way into the angst and darker parts of their relationship. Somebody hold me.
> 
> Give me all your fluffy AU!Malec prompts and I will see what I can do with them. =) We're edging our way towards the big question....will Alec find out about Magnus being a warlock?
> 
> Thanks for reading you lovely biscuits! And I'm sorry for the wait for this one, I can't promise to update more than once a week right now but just know that I'm trying to find the time to update more often and I love you and you are all beautiful and amazing and your comments kill me because you are far too kind. <3<3<3  
> (I'm on [Tumblr](http://imawriteriwrite.tumblr.com/) if you want to chat or anything!)


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